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Promoting your real estate or mortgage broker business on Twitter involves more than just signing up an account and following a few random people.You need to set aside some time in order to set up your account and run it properly.

Here are four quick steps that will help you get started:

1) Fully personalize your profile. This includes a short biography, a link to your website, and a background image. Your biography should be both witty and serious. It’s a fine line to walk, but the witty side will show your followers that you are approachable and have a sense of humor, while the serious side will point out the fact that you are there to do business. It may take time to come up with the right one. Also, include a link to your website so that any followers who want to do business with you can find you. A background image may seem optional, but really isn’t. Personalization is the name of the game, so you should include one that illustrates what you do. It can even consist of your logo.

2) Use pictures. Not just on your profile, but in your tweets as well. Set up your profile so that your picture – not your business logo – is featured. This will give your followers someone to connect to and help them feel as though as they are conversing with a fellow human being, which they are, of course. You also need to tweet photographs on occasion. Whether they are pictures of a house that you are selling or one that you have just helped close a loan on, they will show your followers what you can do for them.

3) Interact. Don’t just follow people. Make them want to follow you back. You can respond to tweets, join in hash tag games (for example, #ifIruledtheworld or #improvefilmtitlesbyaddinginmypants) sure, they’re silly and unprofessional, but they will draw in followers. Also, be sure to follow everyone who follows you. You never really know who you will bump into on this social media site – it could be your next client.

4) Make your Tweets public. While you may believe that making your tweets private will create an air of mystery and leave people wondering exactly what it is that you do, in reality it will just turn them off and make them wonder what you are hiding. Many people will not bother to try to follow someone who has their tweets hidden. If you really want the draw in customers, then you need to leave everything out in public for the world to see.